Locomotive stoker



A. M. HUNT Sept. 5, 1933.

LOCOMOTIVE STOKER Filed 00L 10, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTGRNEY A. M. HUNT Sept. 5, 1933.

LocovloTIvE sToKER Filed 001. 10, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Jmfezl//az A TTORNEY Patented Sept. 5, 1933 Andrew M. Hunt, New York, N.

FFCE

assi gnor to The Standard Stoker Company, Incorporated, a corporation of Delaware Application October 10, 1930. Serial No..487,651 y 15 Claims. (Cl. 198--15) This invention relates to stckers, and particularly to locomotive stokers of the scatter type.

It has been customary in those types of st feed olrers in which the riser cond-uit is offset from the transfer conduit particularly where the screw conveyors in the riser and transfer' conduits are independently operated, to have the riser duit terminate below the transfer conduit, but

such a construction is not capable of ins COR- tallation on locomotives in which the height between the frame and cab deck is limited and it is an object of this invention to provide in locomotives, particularly of this latter type a s toker of the offset type which is compact, ilexible in operation and capable of practical installation.

It is another object of the invention to provide a Stoker of the offset type which will convey fuel from theV tender to the locomotive in the most direct course consistent with Aava space beneath the cab deck of the locom It is another object of the invention to vide a fuel conveying system in a stolzer is free from obstructions and conveys fuel with a minimum or' packing and breaking down.

It is another object ofthe invention Stoker of the type described, to provide a screw having a multiple threaded lower portion.l

It is another object of the inventiorn'r ilable otive.

prothat in a riser in a stokerrof the type in which a riser screw delivers fuel to a iirebox, to so construct and design the riser casing that fuel is delivered formly and evenly therefrom.

To the above and other ends the inve ntion consists in the arrangement of parts and in their relation and association one with the other or in combination as hereinafter y scribed and as illustrated in the accompanying` drawings, in which' Fig'. l is a longitudinal, vertical, central sec-` tion of a locomotive 'and tender showing the stoker in place in elevation;

Fig. 2 is a plan vView of the Stoker structure shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig'. 3 is a plan section on the broken line 3-'3 of Fig. 1.

On the drawings the locomotive is generallyY backhead W K The tender 18 includes a bin 19 having a floor Ythrough the' elbow 3i) of the casting 29.

2i) provided with fuel opening 2l and the usualv slide plates mounted in the opening 21, by shifting which-fuel maybe fed by gravity to the stolzer mechanism. v v

The Stoker .mechanism includes a rear or transfer section A and a forward or elevator section B. The transfer section A comprises 'a movable trough 23, supported beneath. the open 21 by rollers -24 on the rails 25 whereby the y y trough may move longitudinally of the rails and may have a slight angular movement to provide for articulation between the locomotive and tender, and a tubular extension 26 leadingforwardly from the trough 23. Y

The elevator section B comprises a riser conduit 27' opening at its upper end directly to the firing kopening 15 andl rigidly secured to the backhead 14 by any suitable fastening means through they laterally extending flanges 23, 28a,

and the chamber 3l of the lcasting 29 whichl forms the base of the elevator an'dcommunicates with the forward end of the transfer section A The riser conduit 27 Aextends rearwardly and downwardly from the iringl opening for a short distance along the vertical plane passed through the center line of the locomotive forming a mouth portion or delivery portion 32 and then curves gently to one side of the vertical plane terminating below the cab deck 17 and being received in the' seat 33 formed in the wall of the chamber 31 of the casting 29. The elbow Si? oi theoasting 29 terminates at its rearward end in a spherical flanged seat 34 adapted to receive the ball member 35 carried by the tubular extension 26, whereby ak flexible connection between the elbow and tubular extension isk formed.

YThe elevator section B is supported at its lowN er end in `a suitable manner as by the rod 36 bolted at one end to the mud ring 1S and at the other end to the ange 37 depending from the casting 29, and further supported from' the frame il by the expansion plate 33.' Preferably, the elevator section B is inclined at an angle with the horizontal ofless ythan 45 to permit thev endwise delivery of 'fuel into the firing opening and the use of a universal joint driving connection at its base as will presently appear.

The sidewalls of that part of the riser conduit 27 which` extends'along thc 'center line of the locomotive flare laterally forwardr to permit sidewise spreading of the fuel as it is delivered to 'the firing opening.' The upper portion ci' the riser conduit is provided Vwith the hinged cover J itt' ltd

shown, for transmitting motion thereto.

its center line and vice versa.

39 whereby access may be had to the interior of the riser.

Suitable means is provided for advancing the fuel through the conduit system from the bin 19 to the i'lrebox l2. The conveying means comprises separated screw conveyors, the screw 40 being rotatably mounted in the transfer section A and terminating at its forward end adjacent the ball member 35 of the tubular extension 26, and an elevating screw 41 being rotatably mounted in the elevator section B independent of the screw 40, its lower end terminating in the chamber 31 of the casting 29 and its upper end terminating adjacent the bend in the riser conduit 27.

A crusher 42 for use in cooperation with the screw 40 is provided and disposed in the trough 23 for breaking down those lumps of fuel too large for delivery to the rebox.

Motion may be imparted to the screw conveyors by any suitable mechanism, but preferably, from a motor 43 located on the forward left hand corner of the tender. The motor 43 is provided with a crank shaft 44 extending to opposite sides ofthe motorA casingand is ilexibly connected at its rearward end by the universal joint 45 with the rearward end of the extensible drive shaft 46. The drive shaft 46 is` connected at its rearward end in the known `ariel usual manner with the rearward end of the screw conveyor 40 through gearing, not The end of the crank shaft 44 opposite the joint 45 transmits motion to the screw 41 through the -gearing 47 in the gear casing 48 which is detachably secured to the driving motor 43, and the extensible drive shaft 49 which is universally connected at its rearward end by the joint 50 to a gear shaft 51 and at its forward end by Vthe joint 52 to the screw shaft 53 mounted in a bearing 54 of the chamber 31.

In the operation of the stoker device of this invention, fuel from the bin 19 drops into the trough portion 23 of the transfer section A and is advanced forwardly by the screw 4() past the Crusher 42 into the tubular extension 26, the fuel being urged from the end of the screw 40 through the elbow 30 into the chamber 31 and onto the screw 41 whereby the fuel is then ele-V 'i vated in a substantially straight line to the firing opening 15, there the fuel being scattered over the grates 13 by the distributing means including the pressure fluid jet structure 55 and the distributor plate 56.v

It is known that a helicoid screw will deliver more fuel to one side than to the other. Thus, a screwthat advances fuel forwardly when rotated in a right hand direction has a tendency to deliver most of its charge to the left side of Advantage is taken of this fact in the present construction in delivering fuel from the transfer section A to the elevator section B through the elbow 30. From the ngures it will be seen that viewing Athe stoker forwardly, the lower end of the elevator section is offset to the left of the forward end of the transfer section, thus by revolving the screw 40 in a clockwise or right hand direction and having its flights formed to advance fuel, more fuel is delivered to the left side of the center line of the screw 40 whereby the fuel is directed and urged towards the screw 41 in the elevator section. In the construction shown the uneven delivery of fuel to the distributor plate is prevented and fuel is delivered uniformly and evenly permitting even and uniform distribution of fuel over the grates. As may best be seen from Fig. 3, the screw 41, when rotated in clockwise direction to advance fuel, will tend to deliver a heavier charge of fuel to the left of its center line, and this is compensated for by the angular displacement to the left of the upper portion of the riser conduit 27.

To further prevent the accumulation, packing and breaking down of fuel in the elbow 30, the lower portion or fuel receiving portion of the screw 41 is preferably formed with a plurality of threads, whereby the fuel is carried away as rapidly as it is delivered to the screw.

It will be seen that the stoker of this invention is very compact, extremely fieXible in operation and capable of practical installation on locomotives in which the distance between the frame and cab deck is limited. The path of the fuel through the conveying mechanism is free of obstructions and sharp bends or turns resulting in a minimum of packing and crushing, and fuel is delivered uniformly and evenly to the distributor plate from where it may be evenly scattered over the re.

I claim:

1. A fuel elevator for a stoker adapted to receive fuel at its lower portion comprising a riser casing and a screw conveyor rotatably mounted therein, the fuel receiving portion of said screw conveyor being provided with a plurality of threads.

2. A fuel elevator for astoker adapted to receive fuel at its lower portion comprising a bent riser casing having its lower portion disposed laterally at an angle with respect to its upper portion, and a helical screw rotatably mounted in the lower portionA of said riser casing, the nights and direction of rotation of said screw being arranged to deliver the greater portion of its charge to the side of its center line adjacent the inner side of the bend in said riser, and the fuel receiving portion of said helical screw being provided with a plurality of threads.

3. In a stoker, a conveying system comprising a transfer section and Van elevator section, said elevator section communicating at its lower end with said transfer section and offset therefrom, a screwconveyor in said transfer section and a screw conveyor in said elevator section arranged to receive fuel at its lower portion from said transfer conveyor screw, said fuel receiving portion of said elevator screw being provided with a pluarlity of threads.

4. The combination with a locomotive having a firebox with a firing opening and a tender having a fuel bin, of a Stoker conveying system including a transfer section mounted on the ltender and arranged to receive vfuel from said bin, a riser conduit communicating at its upper end with said firing vopening and having its lowerv end offset in a horizontal plane from the forward end cf said transfer section, and arranged to elevate fuel in a straight inclined plane from the point of reception into said firing opening, and an intermediate casing connecting said riser conduit and said transfer-section, the

forward portion of said intermediate casing tender and arranged to receive fuel from said bin, a fuel elevator section havingits upper end on the longitudinal centerline of lthe locomotive and in communication with said firing opening andits lower end 'offset laterally 'in' a lhorizontal plane fromthe forward end of said transfer section, the lowermost portion of the vrearward end of said elevator section being disposed in a plane above the lowermost portion of the forward end of said transfer section, said elevator section being inclined from said transfer' section at an angle less than 45 degrees, a laterally and upwardly curving elbow connecting Vthe offset ends of said elevator and said transfer sections7 and separated screw conveyors in said transfer and said elevator sections whereby fuel isurged through said elbow from the forward end of said transfer conveyor directly onto the flights of the lower portion of the elevator screw conveyor, the lower end of the screw in said elevator being disposed slightly above the level of the lower forward end of the screw in the transfer section.

6. The combination with a locomotive having la rebox with a firing opening and a tender having a fuel bin, of a stokerconveying system including a fuel transfer section mounted on the tender and arranged toreceive fuel from said bin, a fuel elevator section havingits upper end in communication with said firing opening and its lower end offset in a horizontal plane from the forward end of said transfer section, a laterally curving elbow connecting said transfer and elevator section having a multiple threaded lower fuel receiving portion whereby fuel is urged through said elbow from the forward end of said transfer conveyor screw directly onto the multiple threaded portion of the elevator screw conveyor.

7. In a stoker for a furnace having a ring opening, a fuel conveying system including a horizontal fuel transfer section and an elevator section extending downwardly and rearwardly from said firing opening, the mouth portion thereof lying along the same vertical plane that passes through the longitudinal center line of said transfer section, andthe lower 'portion thereof bent laterally from said mouth portion and extending in the same downward and rearward direction, terminating adjacent and at one side of the forward portion of said` transfer section and communicating therewith.

8. The combination with a locomotive having a iirebox with a firing opening and a tender having a fuel bin, of a stoker conveying system including a fuel transfer section mounted on the tender and arranged to receive fuel from said bin and a fuel elevator section extending downwardly and rearwardly from said firing opening along the vertical plane passed through the center line of the locomotive for a portion of its length, and for the remainder of its length 'angularly disposed thereto,

and having its lower end communicating with and offset in a horizontal plane from the forward end of said transfer section.

9. In a stoker for a furnace having a firing opening, a fuel conveying system including a fuel transfer section, an elevator section extending downwardly and rearwardly from said firing opening, the upper portion thereof being in axial endwise into the same and the lower portion sections, a screw conveyor in saidv `transfer section and a Screw conveyor in said thereof bent laterally from said-upper portion terminating adjacent and at one side of the forward portion of `said transfer section and communicating therewith, a screw conveyorin said transfer section, and a screw conveyor in the lower portion only of said elevator section. 10. In a Stoker for a furnace having a firing opening, a fuel conveying system including a fuel transfer section, an elevator section extending downwardly andrearwardlyl from said ring opening, the upper portion thereof being in axial alignment with said firing opening land opening endwise into the same and the lower portion thereof bent laterally from said upper portion terminating adjacentA and at one side of the forward end of said transfer section and communicating therewith, a screw conveyor in saidtransfer section, and a screw conveyor in the lower portion only of said elevator section, said last named screw having its'lower portio provided with a plurality of threads.

11. The combination with a locomotive having aiirebox with a firing opening and a tender having a fuel bin, of a stoker conveying system including a fuel transfer section mounted on the tender and lying in the vertical plane passing through the center line of the locomotive and tender, a laterally bent elevator vsection having its lower end offset in a horizontal plane from the forward end of said transfer section and Aextending upwardly and forwardly to said vertical plane then substantially along said vertical plane to said firing opening, a lhelical screw in said transfer ksection and a helical screw in said elevator section terminating at its upper end adjacent the bend in said elevator section, the nights and direction of rotation of said transfer section screw being arranged to deliver most of its charge to that side of its center line nearest the elevator screw, and the flights and direction of rotation of said elevator screw being arranged to deliver most of its charge to that side of its center line adjacent the inner side of the bend in said elevator section.

12. The combination with a locomotive having a rebox with a firing opening and a tender having a fuel bin, of a Stoker conveyor system including a fuel transfer section mounted on the tender and arranged to receive fuel from said bin, a riser conduit extending downwardly and rearwardly from saidring opening, the upper portion thereof lying in the vertical plane passed through the center line of the locomotive and the lower portion disposed angularly thereto, and an irregular casing connecting said riser conduit and said transfer section, the forward portion thereof forming a base for said riser conduit and the rearwardportion thereof forming a laterally curving elbow flexibly connected to said transfer section.

13. The combination with a locomotive having ya firebox with a firing opening and a tender having a fuel bin, of a Stoker conveying system including a fuel transfer section mounted on the tender and extending longitudinally forward, a fuel elevator section having its lower end offset in a horizontal plane from the forward end of said transfer section and its upper end in communication with said firing opening, a laterally curving elbow connecting the offset ends of said elevator and said transfer sections, and a helical screw in said transfer section having the direction of its nights and the direction of its rotation arranged to propel most of its charge as it leaves the final turn of the screw flight in the ing a iireboX with a firing opening and a tender having a fuel bin, of a stoker conveying system including a transfer section mounted on the tender and arranged to receive fuel from said bin, a riser conduit communicating at its upper end with said ring .opening and having its lower end offset laterally in a horizontal plane from the forward end of said transfer section, the lowermost portion of the rearward end of said riser conduit being disposed in a plane above the lowermost portion of the forward end of said transfer section, said riser conduit being arranged to elevate the fuel in a straight inclined plane from the point of reception to said firing opening and an intermediate casing connecting said riser conduit and said transfer section, the forward portion of said intermediate casing being formed rigidly with said riser conduit and the rearward portion being flexibly associated with the forward end of said transfer section.

15. The combination with a locomotive having a rebox with a firing opening and a tender having a fuel bin, of a stoker conveyor system including a fuel transfer section mounted on the tender and arranged to receive fuel from said bin, a riser conduit extending downwardly and rearwardly from said ring opening, the upper portion thereof lying in the vertical plane passed through the center line of the locomotive and the lower portion disposed angularly thereto, and an `irregular casing. connecting said riser conduit and said transfer section, the forward portion thereof being formed rigidly with said riser conduit and the rearward portion thereof, formingl a laterally curving elbow flexibly associated with the forward end of Ysaid transfer section.

ANDREW M. HUNT. 

